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The amount of work we need to get done seems to grow daily. To avoid becoming overwhelmed, we have to become more productive than ever. Being busy doesn’t automatically equate to doing important work. Instead of filling your calendar with busywork that will burn you out or stunt your career growth, be more intentional with your time.

Working smarter, not harder, means finding ways to use your energy and time at work more efficiently. To do this, you can use various strategies to help you prioritize your work, helping you identify the most important tasks. Besides increasing productivity, here are some other benefits of learning to work smarter: 

• Saving energy: Working in short bursts, for example, allows you to accomplish challenging tasks with more energy and produce better results.
• Increasing motivation: It can create feelings of positivity about your job, colleagues and yourself.
• Making you more valuable: Organizations often look for ways to get more accomplished with less effort, and being able to do this can allow you to become a more important employee.
• Increasing self-esteem: Working smarter allows you to create a better-quality product with less effort, which can boost your self-esteem.

Here are some ways high-achieving workers can build a smarter schedule.

Don’t overcommit. When your calendar is packed with back-to-back meetings, it’s a sign that you have too many priorities. You should intentionally leave space in your schedule to decompress and process your work. Aim to commit to only 80% of the opportunities and responsibilities presented to you. This also forces you to consider and name your priorities.

Be intentional about your time. You control your schedule; your schedule doesn’t control you—or at least it shouldn’t. For example, if you decide you’ll work all afternoon because you have meetings all morning—despite the afternoon being the time of day when you typically hit a creative wall—then you’re letting your schedule guide you. Instead of accepting this, make a change, and let the people in your professional and personal life know what you need to be at your best.

Measure your results, not your time. Keep an ongoing list of everything you accomplish during the day. This can help you feel motivated and accomplished. This list makes it easy to celebrate your accomplishments and better anticipate how long similar tasks may take in the future.

Set short deadlines. Setting deadlines for your work can help you focus and increase your efficiency. This can leave you with more time during your day to focus on other tasks or allow you to clean your office space before leaving for the day.

Use productivity tools. Many programs or applications can help you automate tasks and better track your work productivity. Letting a program track this data for you saves you time from doing it yourself, which can allow you to focus on more priority items.

Working smarter, not harder, can improve your productivity and performance while increasing your overall job satisfaction. It also can make you a valuable asset to your organization, increasing job security and potentially helping you earn a higher salary. Learning about some strategies to work smarter can help you be more successful throughout your career.

References:
Harvard Business Review: HBR IdeaCast (2024, April 2) Curt Nickisch and Laura Mae Martin: Treat Email Like Laundry – and Other Tips from Google’s Productivity Expert
Indeed (2023, October 13) Jamie Birt: 17 Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder (With Benefits)

The practice of observation and the discipline to be a more observant leader (defined as the ability to effectively interpret the world around us), is an overlooked skill. Observation is a skill that is especially important for understanding and operating in the highly connected and ever-changing world in which we operate.

Too often, executive leaders focus on “doing” their jobs through the lens of task and execution. Making the conscious choice and actively seeking to understand the many facets of our world by being present, and engaging “in person” without a filter, bias, or assumption, takes effort. Observation reveals itself through intentional action and behavior, and a leader’s ability to be present and connected during in-depth conversation.

Being a more observant leader can make a meaningful difference in the following ways:

A heightened sense of awareness. By paying close attention to dynamic connections in your environment, and the behaviors, attitudes, and needs of various stakeholder groups, you are better able to identify trends and anticipate challenges. You will also develop a greater sense of and foster empathy and understanding.

Improved decision-making and problem-solving skills. By carefully observing situations, you gather relevant data in the moment, identifying patterns, and recognizing underlying causes. You are more apt to consider multiple perspectives before making critical choices.

Continuous learning and innovation. By encouraging your team to be curious, observe, question, and explore, you unlock or discover how the gifts of others, as new perspectives or creative insights, are raised.

Stronger relationships. By keenly observing individual styles and behaviors, you can provide targeted guidance that supports growth. Combined with the power to listen attentively, you foster trust and open lines of communication.

Now that you know the benefits of being a more observant leader, how do you groom your skills?

1. Cultivate a mindset of curiosity and openness.
2. Practice active listening and non-verbal observation.
3. Develop situational awareness.
4. Encourage feedback.

As an executive leader, honing your observation skills to better support and serve the stakeholders you lead and partner with is an essential trait for your ever evolving leadership toolkit.

References:
Medium (2023, June 28) Steve Schloss: Observation: An Often-Overlooked Leadership Trait

Many employees say they don’t have time for mindfulness practices, such as daily meditation. An alternative is micro-presence: weaving moments of mindfulness into the workday to heighten self-awareness, recalibrate, and reset. Practicing mindfulness can be an effective way to handle pressure and overwhelm at work, and it doesn’t need to be a huge commitment—you can build small moments of mindfulness into your daily routine. Here are seven simple yet powerful micro-mindfulness techniques that can seamlessly integrate into your busy work schedule.

Take three deep breaths. When you’re feeling stressed or simply have a few moments between meetings, stop and take three slow, conscious breaths. Inhale deeply, feeling your stomach expand, hold for a brief moment, then exhale slowly and completely. If you can, repeat this pattern a few times.

Check in with your senses. Take a 30-second break to ground yourself in the present moment. Focus your attention on what you can perceive through your senses. Notice what you see and hear around you, and the feeling of your chair or desk.

Do a full body scan. Do a rapid top-to-bottom scan of your body to identify areas of tension. Observe whether you feel tightness in your shoulders, jaw, or other areas—then consciously try to relax them.

Take a “mindful minute.” Pause whatever you’re doing, close your eyes if possible, and turn your attention to your breath for 60 seconds. Notice the natural rise and fall of your chest and the sensation of air flowing through your nostrils. If your mind gets carried away by thoughts, gently guide it back to the breath.

Go for a meditative walk. Step away from your desk and move around. Rather than scrolling through your phone or mentally rehearsing what you’ll say in your next meeting, focus on being present and experiencing the sensations of your body in motion.

Pause for gratitude. Take 30 seconds to focus on something you’re grateful for. This could be a meaningful aspect of your work, a supportive colleague, a positive experience, or a simple comfort like the warmth of your coffee.

Grab a bite—and really savor it. Resist the urge to multitask during meals. Even if you can only spare a few minutes for lunch, unplug during that time and focus on enjoying your food.

To integrate micro-presence into your schedule, you must be intentional and create new habits. Use time-, transition-, or technology-based triggers to prompt behaviors of mindfulness. It’s important to start small and pace yourself. Pick one trigger and at most a few of the practices and work on making them habitual.

If you try to do too much, you risk falling into the “I’m too busy” trap. And remember: If you do miss a trigger, it’s not a big deal, so don’t beat yourself up. Do your best to get back in the flow.

References:
Harvard Business Review (2024, July 16) Michael D. Watkins: 7 Ways to Weave Mindfulness into Your Workday